BWF World Championships: Gayatri-Treesa Stun 7th Seeds, Move One Win Away From Medal

India’s Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly advanced to the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships on Thursday after producing one of their biggest wins of the tournament.

The world No. 39 Indian women’s doubles pair defeated seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan 21-16, 21-12 in the Round of 16 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.

The victory puts Gayatri and Treesa one win away from securing a World Championships medal. A quarter-final victory would take the Indians into the semi-finals and guarantee them at least a bronze medal.

The Japanese pair, who won bronze at the 2025 World Championships, had defeated the Indian duo three years ago. This time, however, Gayatri and Treesa controlled the contest from the opening rallies and never allowed their opponents to settle.

Treesa’s Power, Gayatri’s Control

Treesa once again made her powerful jump-smashes a major weapon, while Gayatri played a crucial role in building rallies and controlling the forecourt.

Their ability to switch positions also proved decisive. Treesa frequently moved forward to attack at the net, while Gayatri was comfortable operating from the backcourt. Treesa also mixed her powerful game with well-disguised drops and pushes, making it difficult for the Japanese pair to anticipate their next move.

“We have been working on both. I have been playing in the back court and she’s been doing really well at the front court, so that works well,” Treesa said after the match.

The Indians maintained their composure despite a tense second game that included disagreements over line calls and an intervention from the chair umpire. Treesa was shown a yellow card after being warned for abusing the shuttle.

Coach Pullela Gopichand also helped the pair regain their focus from the coaching box.

“He just told us to stay calm, focus on attack,” Gayatri said, describing the advice they received when the nerves began to rise.

China Awaits In Quarter-finals

Gayatri and Treesa will face China’s world No. 4 pair Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the quarter-finals on Friday.

The Indian duo has yet to defeat the Chinese combination, having lost all three of their previous meetings. They will now need another major upset to continue their run.

Victory would make Gayatri and Treesa only the second Indian women’s doubles pair to win a World Championships medal, following Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who claimed bronze in 2011.

Strong Comeback After Injury

Their run is particularly impressive after Treesa’s injury kept the pair out of action for three months.

They returned at the Philippines International in August and won the tournament, using the lower-level event to rebuild their rhythm. Their performances at the World Championships have since suggested that the pair are once again approaching the level that took them into the world’s top 10 last year.

The win also provided a major boost to India’s campaign on a challenging day, with several Indian players facing higher-ranked opponents.

PV Sindhu, Ayush Shetty, Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto and the men’s doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also scheduled to compete on Thursday.